Srinagar : About a week ago, a Dutch woman accused two Kashmiris of raping her in a houseboat in the Dal Lake and Gulmarg over six days. The two then allegedly robbed her and took away her passport. Later, one of the accused — Yasir Altaf ( 24) — was arrested.
But now, a Dutch woman has come to his aid.
Anne- Birthe-Smit, a Dutch student currently touring Kashmir, will depose before a court against the woman who alleged rape and fraud, reports Mail Today.
On June 26, 2010, the ‘ victim' filed a complaint in the Connaught Place police station accusing Altaf and Omar Baktoo of raping her and her friend when they were in Kashmir in January. She accused the duo of seizing their passports and robbing them.
The two Dutch women were on a world tour when they visited India early this year. The complainant said in the FIR that they came in touch with Altaf and Baktoo, who claimed to be tourist agents. The Kashmiris subsequently motivated them to visit Kashmir.
She claimed they were allegedly raped in Gulmarg by the two men. Anne, who met Baktoo last month in Delhi and is currently living in his houseboat Omar Khayam in the Dal Lake, had a different story to tell. She said she had been in touch with Baktoo and his family for more than a month and had access to emails sent to him by the other alleged victim. The complainant's friend — allegedly raped by Baktoo — had returned to Holland after her tour.
Anne said the woman insisted she had nothing to do with the case. “ She has written to me saying she had nothing to do with the case and that what her friend was doing was not her style of functioning,” Anne said.
Anne also claimed to have photographs of Altaf and his victim taken in Thailand in March. She said after returning to Delhi, the two women stayed with Altaf and Baktoo and later travelled to Thailand. On March 1, they went to Thailand and stayed there for eight days. Displaying a photographs of Altaf with his alleged victim in Thailand, she said the foursome enjoyed each other's company and the question of rape and cheating did not arise.
“ I have collected all the evidence and I will depose before the court in Delhi,” she said. But, Anne seemed frightened. “ I don't know what kind of people were supporting the complainant and what were her connections with them. That is why I require security,” she said. She claimed that after returning from Thailand, the two Dutch women travelled to different places, including Bangladesh. “ It is strange why she filed a complaint almost six months after the incident,” Anne said.
On Saturday, a Delhi Court rejected the bail plea of Altaf. He was accused of posing as a tourist guide and allegedly raping two Dutch women after taking them to Kashmir. Altaf claimed that the physical relationship was consensual. But the judge said the application was devoid of any merit. Further, as the investigation was at a nascent stage, the accused couldn't be bailed out.
